Biomet Hip Lawsuit

Hundreds of people have filed a Biomet hip lawsuit after allegedly suffering painful and debilitating complications associated with the metal-on-metal design of the M2a Magnum Hip Replacement System.

Biomet Hips: What’s the Problem?

The Biomet M2a Magnum consists of three all-metal components, a metal femoral head, metal taper insert and metal acetabulum cup. According to Biomet hip lawsuits, these components can shed dangerous amounts of toxic metal debris into the hip joint. The accumulating metal particles may result in:

Unexplained Hip Pain

Swelling and Soft Tissue Damage

Pseudotumor formation

Metallosis

Difficulty Standing or Walking

Loosening of the Hip Implant

Additional Hip Revision Surgery

While most hip implants are intended to last at least 15 years, patients implanted with an M2a Magnum hip have reported failures within just a few years of their initial surgery.

Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants

Metal-on-metal hips like the Biomet M2a Magnum were originally marketed to younger, more active patients, as this design was intended to offer greater durability and range of motion. But recent studies suggest that all-metal hips are actually more likely to fail prematurely than those made of other materials:

February 20 12: Researchers writing in the British Medical Journal advised that metal-on-metal hip patients should be monitored annually for signs of metallosis, or metal poisoning, for as long as they had the implant.

March 2012: A study published in The Lancet medical journal concluded that metal-on-metal hips should not be used at all due to serious issues with the safety of the implants.

May 2012: Research published in the Journal of Arthroplasty found that metal-on-metal hip implants corroded more severely and more quickly than those with plastic or ceramic components.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) began investigating metal-on-metal hip replacements in February 2011. In January 2013, the agency issued new guidance for patients fitted with metal-on-metal hip replacements, advising doctors to consider metal ion testing in those experiencing symptoms of hip implant failure. Read More

Biomet Hip Litigation

In October 2012, all federally-filed Biomet hip lawsuits involving M2a Magnum hips were centralized in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana. The multidistrict litigation would eventually grow to include more than 1,900 cases. All of the complaints put forth similar allegations regarding the propensity of the Biomet hip implants to generate high levels of metal ions, cause metallosis in the surrounding tissue and/or fail prematurely. Read More

In February 2014, Biomet agreed to pay $56 million to settle lawsuits involving M2aMagnum hips. Cases eligible for the settlement program include those filed on or before April 15, 2014. Plaintiffs who received one of the affected Biomet hip replacements as part of an initial surgery that was rectified more than 180 days after it was implanted will be eligible for a base award of $200,000. Read More